Tottenham step up £35m triple attacker swoop

The north London club are pressing ahead with their attempts to sign Javier Hernandez, Clinton N’Jie and Saido Berahino as they look to bolster their strikeforce this summer

By Greg StobartTottenham are hopeful of agreeing a deal worth £10.6 million to sign striker Clinton N’Jie from Lyon as they plan a spending spree before the transfer window closes at the end of the month.

The north London club are also in discussions with Manchester United about Javier Hernandez and West Brom over Saido Berahino as manager Mauricio Pochettino looks to drastically improve his forward options.

Spurs have been locked in talks with Lyon over a deal for N’Jie and are understood to be close to agreeing a fee for his transfer to White Hart Lane.

The Cameroon international can play either as a central striker or as a winger and Spurs believe his blistering pace would add a new dimension to Pochettino’s pool of attackers.

Discussions between Tottenham officials and Lyon president Jean-Michel Aulas have mainly centred on the structure of the transfer, which will include several performance-related add-ons.

N’Jie, 21, would add much-needed speed to the Spurs squad and has been identified as a potential star of the future by the club’s recruitment team. Last season, he scored seven goals and provided seven assists for Lyon.

Spurs lost their Premier League opener against Manchester United 1-0 on Saturday and Pochettino spoke after the match about the need to sign at least one new forward to support Harry Kane.

Daniel Levy, the Tottenham chairman, is due to return from holiday in Florida on Monday and will look to push through the club’s planned transfer business.

Spurs could sign as many as four players before the transfer window closes at the end of the month.

In addition to N’Jie, they are also in talks to sign Manchester United striker Hernandez and Berahino from West Brom, while Pochettino is keen to add a defensive midfielder to his side too.

Hernandez would cost around £10m and is keen on a switch to White Hart Lane, with an official bid understood to be imminent as Spurs rival West Ham for the Mexican, who spent last season on loan at Real Madrid. United, meanwhile, have been told to forget about any hopes of signing Spurs sensation Kane this summer.

Tottenham have not given up on Berahino and hope that West Brom will drop their £25m asking price for the England under-21 international.

The Baggies have signed Rickie Lambert this summer and are also close to bringing in Salomon Rondon from Zenit St Petersburg, which has led to speculation that they are preparing for Berahino’s departure.

Tottenham are willing to pay around £15m for the 22-year-old, with Manchester City also monitoring his situation following the summer departures of Edin Dzeko and Stevan Jovetic.

Spurs have already signed Toby Alderweireld, Kevin Wimmer and Kieran Trippier this summer, while January signing Dele Alli joined the squad having been loaned back to MK Dons last season.

But Pochettino is keen to complete his squad having shifted several unwanted players including Paulinho, Etienne Capoue, Younes Kaboul and Benjamin Stambouli. Emmanuel Adebayor, Aaron Lennon and Roberto Soldado are still expected to leave the club before the end of the month.